Blame Keeps Landing On Schiano
September 11th, 2013
Joe’s never seen his local media brethren in such an intense feeding frenzy, eager to take deadly bites out of the tail of a Bucs head coach — after one game.Â
The 2011 Bucs tanked on opening day at home against Detroit. It was a game that featured clueless coaching, with former offensive coordinator Greg Olson and head coach Raheem Morris admitting that they lost their heads and got away from running the football. Then No. 1 running back LeGarrette Blount had only five carries in the seven-point loss, a guy who had just torn up the league the year before.Â
But Joe recalls no such wild outrage at Raheem in the aftermath. Schiano, however, is getting pelted by various media.
Yesterday’s top sports headline in the print edition of the Tampa Bay Times, “BLAME HIM,” was a Tuesday Schiano beating by Tom Jones.
And the most glaring example of a team completely out of sorts? How about the very first drive of the season?
Let me repeat: The first drive, the one you have been getting ready for since last season ended.
After four plays from scrimmage, the Bucs were forced to call a timeout because quarterback Josh Freeman’s helmet communicator went on the fritz.
Coming out of the timeout, when you assume the Bucs had gotten their act together, they were so discombobulated they were flagged for not one but two delay-of-game penalties. Then came a sack. Then came a false start penalty. Then, on third and 35, they completed a pass for a 2-yard gain.
Who was in charge of scripting that series, Moe, Curly or Larry?
Does that sound like a team ready to play? Does that sound like a team that is well coached and able to handle adversity?
I realize that Schiano can’t go out there for his players. He can’t complete passes that Freeman should complete. He can’t block or rush the passer or cover anyone. But what about the things he and his staff can control?
Joe is no shrink, but Joe suspects the intensity of Schiano’s beating around town comes because Schiano is so intense and demanding and focused on details.
Perhaps media types don’t feel right giving Schiano anything less than a clubbing when he fails, sort of a mentality that the head coach will only feel it if it’s rough?
Regardless, Joe wants to see what happens Sunday before Joe goes off the deep end. Literally, if the Bucs win Sunday, then they’ll be on top of the NFC South with all tiebreakers in hand.
September 11th, 2013 at 11:04 am
Clearly Tom Jones was too hammered during the 2011 season to remember the details (as we all likely were). I’m in NY but listen to 620 on my computer, and there weren’t too many folks who liked the Schiano hire. Seems like they’ve just been waiting for a reason to pounce. They got it on Sunday.
September 11th, 2013 at 11:05 am
There were 4 games of pure frustration in the preseason. That’s ok, it was “just” preseason. However, when game 1 rolls around and looks just as bad, that excuse evaporates. Weeks of pent up frustration are popping right now in the fan base, and rightfully so.
This team had better come out strong against the Saints.
September 11th, 2013 at 11:19 am
The team wasn’t prepared, plain and simple. That is squarely on Schiano’s shoulders. The backlash on Schiano could’ve been lessened to a degree, if he just came out in his press conference and said he didn’t do a good enough job preparing the team. He didn’t do that. He insinuated the problem was coming from somewhere else, namely the players. What happened to trust and accountability?
I’m anxious to see the game plan and how well the team is prepared on Sunday. That should tell us more than just a 1 game sampling. Hopefully the results are better.
September 11th, 2013 at 11:25 am
Two reasons:
1) We lost to the Jets who look like one of the league’s most talentless teams…not the Lions, who were pretty damn talented when they beat us.
2) Everyone knows that we have the Saints and Patriots looming…which most people have already pegged as losses…So now 0-3 looks likely. (Although I believe we can get it together and pull out a win Sunday)
Bottom line, everyone is panicking because you just can not afford to lose to the worst team on your schedule when you play in a brutal conference where there is no margin for error if you hope to make the playoffs.
September 11th, 2013 at 11:28 am
We will find out a lot about the coach, the QB and the rest of the team on Sunday. Hopefully they are taking a bunker mentality this week and pulling together, determined to fix the problems and shut us all up.
September 11th, 2013 at 11:33 am
Didnt anybody see the Redskins opener?
They looked rusty and awful.
And so did the Ravens. And most of the league.
The first 8 games of the season are not that big of a deal.
Its the final 8 that matters.
We just need to improve week by week. And we will be ok.
September 11th, 2013 at 11:33 am
Why is everyone blaming Schiano for the way the Bucs 1st quarter went? Isn’t it possible that there was preparation, but that JFro just wilted under the pressure and folded like a cheap Wal Mart card table? I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time. Why is it Schiano’s fault that Freeman didn’t get the play off in time after a timeout? More excuses from the JFro Jock Sniffer Mob.
September 11th, 2013 at 11:49 am
I blame Sully.
September 11th, 2013 at 11:50 am
Before I even read this article my response to the title: your damn right it does!
September 11th, 2013 at 11:57 am
But wait…….. Are you sure it’s not Freeman’s fault???? I was pretty sure it was Freeman’s fault. Lol
September 11th, 2013 at 12:00 pm
How does every article end up blaming freeman for the issues? After last year I was just as mad as anyone about how bad Josh looked at the end of the year, but this is a new year and anything can happen. The first game of the season I thought Josh looked pretty good. Drove us down the field and put us in position to win. I hate the excuse “ya we were winning, but we should have won by more! shouldnt have been so close!” This is the NFL, every game is going to be tough! Wake up. This lose was a team lose. The Oline was bad, the defense was bad (better than last year) but still bad none the less. If you can sit here and say the defense didnt blow the game at the end, YOU ARE CRAZY. I live in Nebraska, and im a huge LVD fan from college. But he blew that game. If no penatly, we win the game. But some how a fumble caused by the Oline in the first qrt, falls on freeman losing this game.
I love the bucs, and ill continue to read all the post on this site, and twitter, and watch all the games, but our fans are really letting me down. It is so negative around here. And I get it, we lost. 1 game….1 game….1 game…If we win this weekend, were in first place. Calm down.
September 11th, 2013 at 12:00 pm
The panic, as someone mentioned, as to do with the upcoming schedule and the fact that the NFC is so brutal 10-6 might not be good enough. You just cannot claim to be a playoff contender if you blow games against teams like the Jets. I’m hopeful the Bucs can win but realistically I’ll be very surprised if they beat New Orleans or New England. Beating 2 of the 4 best QBs in the league is going to take a strong effort from the offense. Gonna take more than TD drives of 5 and 43 (though obviously if the defense sets up six scoring drives inside the 10 no one will complain.
September 11th, 2013 at 12:02 pm
Teacherman, dont worry, if the Bucs win next week they are deep playoff contenders for that week, the media doesnt get reviews without making a big stink, see shaun king.
September 11th, 2013 at 12:04 pm
You don’t pay 16M$/ yer and hire Revis for a team starting a rebuilding cycle or go fetch a safety at 35M$. Glazers and Dominick must think that they are playoff bound. Bucs have a great core of young players and anything under a playoff berth this year is unnacceptable. Schiano was granted one of the team with the most upside in the nfl and if he regress this year he’s out. Yes there is external events like mrsa that hurt the team but it is what it is. In my mind Josh already mentally left town and waits to go elsewhere. He looks overmedicated when he speaks. At these salary bracket he will still get a good contract and play for another team.
Is Glennon the answer? I wasn’t thrilled when they drafted him and after preseason and think he will be an ok player but nothing like putting him in charge to find out before 2014
September 11th, 2013 at 12:07 pm
Theres alot more talent and money spent since raheem was here. There are no excuses now. As much as people bash on olsen, he did great w freeman 2010 and he is doing something good w terrell pryor now
September 11th, 2013 at 12:09 pm
Lovie. Frickin. Smith. Build the team from the defense-out. Lets make it happen
September 11th, 2013 at 12:09 pm
its not panic, everyone can see clearly freeman isnt accurate well you can see clearly this dude is clueless…you have revis and goldson and still get beat by a rookie that barely played in the preseason…they have no clue how to maximize talent simply because he is saying do this do that but dont do that….how about you coach and let the players play the game. theres no way anyone can say that he could outcoach anyone in our division except maybe ron rivera thats why were always the two teams at the bottom of the division
September 11th, 2013 at 12:12 pm
No Joe you cant get off the hook for this….difference is everyone KNEW raheem morris was in over his head, they knew he was only temporary….this guy didnt have his team ready, then threw everyone under the bus except himself and his coaches….saying he had 3 weeks to prepare for a defense thats been in place since 2009 but had no clue how to move the ball is pathetic…joseph doesnt look 100% and we had a pretty good line last year, those guys should have gotten first crack at starting until our guards nicks and joseph were ready
September 11th, 2013 at 12:14 pm
We must find out for real, who’s fault it was, that Freeman did not have, or did not use scripted plays.
September 11th, 2013 at 12:14 pm
IT WAS the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.
-Charles Dickens on the Bucs 2013 Season
September 11th, 2013 at 12:15 pm
yea LOVIE FRICKIN SMITH….spent all this money on your defense but you still cant stop a rookie….so what lets say josh freeman had the worst game in his entire nfl career…guess what people still with 30 something seconds we were in the lead a 2 point lead because that coward wouldnt even take one single shot downfield..with all the money you spent in the offseason you let a green rookie come down AGAIN and beat you in the last seconds freeman cant take the blame for LOSING A LEAD IF HE’S ON THE BENCH
September 11th, 2013 at 12:19 pm
and last thing guess what….if your trying to decide if your gonna get rid of josh freeman or not, hypothetically lets say he only has until the bye week to prove himself. well how about these idiots find out if he can run their offense without babying him, give him freedom to run the offense and do what he wants to do while on the field THEN CRITICIZE HIM IF HE SUCKS….but if you wont turn to the rookie because he’s not ready then dont bash the guy until you bench him, thats weak of a coach to instill doubt in a guy in a contract year that you need to have confidence so he can lead your team to a respectable record…no he’s doing the exact opposite and these are men not college players, they dont need this idiot messing with the room temperature
September 11th, 2013 at 12:27 pm
I normally a positive person. But, He deserve the blame for not addressing these issues that was going on since the first preseason game. Also, for not getting on Mark nerves to get the players to fix the various issues like not having a Tight End, Slot Receiver, and releasing FB Larsen when Lorig wasn’t ready (he should’ve been on the pup list.). I still think it may be time to move on from Mark Dominic.
I’ve been pro Dominic but there are a lots of hic cup in talents he gotten since he been here. I really wonder what it would be like to have Grimes with Revis, Bank, and Johnson. Drafted a TE. And over the year drafted at least one Offensive lineman and we might not needed to get Carl Nick. But, now it pointless wondering these things.
September 11th, 2013 at 12:36 pm
The reason that everyone is upset with Schiano is there is more talent on this roster than any Buccaneer team ever including the Super Bowl team. There are only two reasons for this team to play as poorly as it has. Bad coaching or bad attitude by the players just not wanting to play.
September 11th, 2013 at 12:37 pm
yea that was pretty stupid to release larsen before lorig was back and full participation at practice but these idiots do that, same thing with underwood. i thought that if there are two people battling for starter that at the very least you keep those two guys. then letting go of bennett because you thought bowers was the guy but you wont start him but why is it on that play when the rushed 3 at the end of the game and dropped 8 back in coverage it was bowers the one on the field? for that its gotta be both dominick and schiano’s fault because thats basic numbers.
September 11th, 2013 at 12:38 pm
you work out vishante shianco and decide he’s not better than luke stocker who’s done nothing since he got here and forget catches, he didnt even get targeted. so basically what they accomplished on offense is in trying to upgrade the offense they got worse at slot receiver and tight end because now instead of mininal production we got absolutely zero catches from both spots…theres no guessing to who’s at fault so all we can do is blame freeman for his play on the field but like warren sapp said you earn your paycheck during the week, sundays are supposed to be fun day
September 11th, 2013 at 12:39 pm
Schiano deserves to be called out here. Was the loss entirely his fault? No. But he was certainly part of the problem. From a coaching standpoint, the O coordinator is to blame as well.
September 11th, 2013 at 12:45 pm
It’s viral. We’ll be starting over again soon. Seems we are perpetually always starting over. Pretty soon you won’t be able to talk another college coach into coaching the Bucs much less an experienced NFL coach. Who would want that job after the way the media and the fans act. We will always get the bottom of the barrel type coaches. Parcells said no way, Jeff Fisher said hell no, Chip Kelly said he’d rather stay at the college level, and then took the Philly job. Tampa is their own worst enemy most the time.
September 11th, 2013 at 12:46 pm
I didn’t witness the media (news, and sports talk radio/Duemig) running Gruden out of town, but I’m getting my first taste of them in collaboration to run Schiano out. It started on Monday when Duemig announced that Schiano is officially on his shit list. Duemig has an agenda to get the fans against Schiano at all costs. Sad situation, imo.
September 11th, 2013 at 12:46 pm
I also think if your average Buc fan were to be able to walk into the locker room after the game and start pointing fingers at who’s to blame. They would have their finger pointed in every direction from this guy to that guy. Then from this coach to that coach including Schiano of course.
September 11th, 2013 at 12:50 pm
RBellBuc…I don’t think Schiano has it nearly as bad as Rex Ryan does with the NY media. Coughlin as well. The NY media all but punch Rex in the face at every turn. It does however seem that much of the Tampa media does try to emulate the New York state of mind.
September 11th, 2013 at 12:51 pm
0-3. No playoffs. The Bucs will be out of it by Halloween. And we will start hearing rumors of Wandstadt or Butch Davis taking over.
September 11th, 2013 at 12:53 pm
@Buc1987- I dont always agreeing with what you say, but i appreciate your fanhood. and standing behind this team and are passionate about it. Your not dumb, and you are not satisfied with what went on the field, of course, like all of us, but atleast your not going to bash this team.
I hear the fans on this site say “i can still be a fan of the bucs, and bash them”
no, no, no, thats not being a fan. You dont have to BASH them. You can disagree with things, and you can even be upset, but theres no place to bash the team. I love the bucs, bottom line. I say during the game once or twice “F josh, get it together, that sucked” or what not, but i dont run to these boards and say how bad he is. Not saying im a better fan than you, i dont think you are much of a fan.
Im a fan of Schiano and i say lets let it play out. its week 1 and your calling for his head and freemans. WOW.
September 11th, 2013 at 12:53 pm
if schiano had simply taken the blame for not getting his team prepared to play the regular season this wouldnt be an issue. i would like to think our offense looked so bad because these players were rusty because what we showed in game 1 was the team had no chance to develop any chemistry in the preseason by playing a few series together…what i was was people switching in and out all preseason so you would have no clue who would start. we can all admit jonathan banks is better and was better in preseason, has a higher ceiling that leonard johnson but what is he trying to prove by starting undrafted rookies last year but this year invested a second round in a corner but bring him off the bench…millner was a top pick in the draft and got abused all game but atleast the coach wasnt scared to use him yet they still won
September 11th, 2013 at 12:54 pm
Joe…Come on man, are there no interesting things to discuss about the upcoming game?
September 11th, 2013 at 1:02 pm
JustinNU …I certainly hope your not saying that I’m bashing Schiano or anyone else. Because that’s not how I operate. I’m the one that’s been saying since Sunday night to give the coach a chance to correct the problems before everyone starts bashing him. I’m a Schiano fan
JustinNU Says:
“Im a fan of Schiano and i say lets let it play out. its week 1 and your calling for his head and freemans. WOW.”
Who me? Not even close.
September 11th, 2013 at 1:02 pm
TOM JONES has no clue of what it takes to coach or play he just says things to get attention.
Freeman- when he gets rattled starts to stae down the reciever from the snap. ex:wheel route he followed Hamster from the momonet he was in the backfield.
freeman – stop taking clock down to 1 sec. it allows every DL to take off without fearing offsides.
zUTTAH- EVERYTIME YOU put head down between your legs and look up you snap it. if im DL i would know to take off once your head pops up you key them off.
laslty for God sake on last drive run a naked bootleg, the whole D was comming at martin josh could have wlaked inthe endzone from 30 yards out.
Josh is josh inconsistent through out game he has been same all season
September 11th, 2013 at 1:04 pm
The Glazers should went after Brian Shaw with Stanford over the cave dweller at Rutgers. Shaw has intelligence something the Bucs offense lacks. Freeman has issues and Schiano has made them even worse. Send Schiano back up north. He can always get a job with the Pats as Belicheats official ball washer.
September 11th, 2013 at 1:05 pm
What about the QB. What has he had 50+ start’s. You wonder why he’s not a captian? A leader would of waved off the confused sideline and called a freakin run up the middle. IT WAS FIRST DOWN for crying out loud
September 11th, 2013 at 1:05 pm
Get off coach..
O YA- CARROL, HARBOUGH, JIMMY JOHNSON, COLLEGE COACHES!!!
Now chip kelly is talk of country how come nobody days he sucks cause he is college coach.
Buc fans relax, D looked great, if offense comes around look out. 9-7
September 11th, 2013 at 1:06 pm
I think the piling on is because Schiano is, quite possibly, the most unlikeable coach in the NFL. In a league that features Jim Schwartz and Jim Harbaugh, that’s saying something.
September 11th, 2013 at 1:07 pm
Coach Schiano has to adjust to and fully embrace the pro game if he wants to build a championship contender. If they don’t get a W (win) this week I will start banging the table for Lovie Smith to become the new Head Coach at the end of the season.
September 11th, 2013 at 1:10 pm
This man does not have a clue and that’s not the problem. The problem is he’s not going to let anybody tell him either. Case in point. Gabe Carimi is taking reps with the first team again. Schiano is going to will him into playing LG even though he sucks at LG as he did in Chicago. The guy even refused to report to camp in Chicago because they wanted him to play OG. But nooo! Schiano is almighty and if he wants Carimi to play LG, then dammit, he’s going to be a pro bowl guard. Give me a break.
September 11th, 2013 at 1:14 pm
JustinNU
I said after the game that I was depressed, not pissed off at the team. I think the Buc bashers on this site and PR are way over the top. I think if we were to put the bashers (and that is the perfect term for them, not fans) on a scale up against the supporters. The bashers would outweigh the supporters 20-1. Way too many bashers is what I’m trying to say. Maybe it’s just frustration. I don’t care. Nor do I care for them. That’s why I read their 1st sentence and if I see the way it’s going to go. I skip right over the rest of their paragraph. I don’t need to read them trashing my team. That’s right it’s their team too. So we are stuck with them right? Just skip over their bs.
Some people have been wanting Joe to put an ignore button so that readers of the comments can ignore certain posters. I agree with them, but if Joe’s not going to do that. The only options are to either skip over their posts or not click the comment button, because the comments are FULL of Buc bashers.
September 11th, 2013 at 1:18 pm
im coach bashing because freeman looked great midseason and everyone was sippin the playoff koolaid until he tanked it with those two 4 int games which other than that had a great season. no one’s mad at drew brees for going 7-9. this is the first game of the season dude, 3 weeks to prepare lol you need time to get it fixed really? so that liar says josh freeman has the ability to call his own plays but wont..yea right i dont believe that….were probably the only team in the nfl that doesnt run no huddle because that coach is a control freak. this aint college you have to evolve, our defense looked good which is what schiano knows…yea yea everyone loves the big hits but we still lost the game people so defense means what in that situation? we need an offensive coach, bill sheridan sucks and schiano is still learning to coach….
people are on freeman because this is the second year in this offense but how much blame can he take for not being able to score because guess what, mike sullivan is in the second year of his own offense, theres a reason why some coaches have success and some dont, reason why some coordinators look comfortable and at home calling plays and some dont but hey im just a fan that loves my team and we will see what you say this week we played a team with garbage offense so lets see what defense gets us when theres no offense….warren sapp and dbrooks know that all to well
September 11th, 2013 at 1:21 pm
HAHAHA. We’re mentioning Freeman and Brees in the same breath? Unless the question is “Who are the NFC South QBs” or “Name a QB from a school in the midwest”, its a remarkable insult to Drew Brees to mention Freeman in the same breath. Do you Freeman defenders even listen to yourselves?
September 11th, 2013 at 1:24 pm
The headset communication is Schiano’s fault? The 2 delay of game penalties AFTER a time out where JOSH should of known what the play was but couldnt get the ball snapped… that’s schiano’s fault?
Are you kidding me? What is wrong with you people?
September 11th, 2013 at 1:31 pm
A quarterback with 5 years experience should be able to call ONE play in the first drive of a game where nothing is on the line. It’s not like it was a pressure situation where playcalling is crucial.
Shoot. I’d just call “i right, half back dive right, on 2”. How hard is that? That was our bread and butter in high school.
September 11th, 2013 at 1:34 pm
bucrightoff
really you mean all that and you too a name drew brees and commented on it….your kinda smart arent you because i was referencing his record plain and simple. its an insult to mention greg schiano in the same breath as mike smith or sean payton to my friend. do you seriously think we can outcoach anyone in the nfc? they dont even know how to game plan for a defense thats been in place forever. they knew rex planned to stop martin and blitz freeman which is why we threw the ball soo much to start the game and guess what he was 6-8 until he was let down. stop saying freeman this freeman that fine he sucks whatever but tim tebow cant even make an nfl roster because he cant throw worth a crap but somehow a hall of fame qb and gm with a proven head coach tailored their team to his strengths to get to the playoffs….thats what coaching does for a team
September 11th, 2013 at 1:36 pm
It’s also Schiano’s fault for Zuttah snapping the ball past Freeman. He should have called the play where Zuttah actually snaps it TO Freeman.
That whole debacle couldn’t have been the fault of the QB being ill prepared. After all, no respected former NFL QBs have ever insisted that JFro likes to party instead of prepare. Oh wait, that’s right – Warren Moon and Boomer Esiason did say that.
September 11th, 2013 at 1:36 pm
Even if Freeman had run a play after the headset malfunction he still would have had to call a timeout after that anyway cause his headset still wasn’t working. I wish people would actually think for a change.
September 11th, 2013 at 1:37 pm
You can blame Schiano for the opening drive which was lackluster but the defense, looked well prepared. The team created multiple turnovers and sacks, how is that not being prepared? The offense looked like a typical Josh Freeman offense, flashes of great plays but mostly inconsistent and lost. How good did Josh look in Raheem’s last year? Everyone keeps referencing all these numbers he put up but its easy to look like a stud when playing from 3 TDs down and the opposing defense is in a prevent set up. Is he young, sure, but so is Andrew Luck & RGIII or even Geno Smith. There’s a reason Freeman’s contract has not been renewed and why they drafted a QB. None of that points to confidence in the QB position. Unprepared teams get blown out repeatedly like Raheem’s team when we lost 10 IN A ROW. Prepared teams play tight, low scoring games. The coach can only do so much, how do the hits from Goldson and David have anything to do with preparation? That was three separate drives extended on plays that involve fractions of a second of decision making by the player, not the coach. Had we won that game, all of Tampa would be praising Schiano and pounding Freeman. If i remember correctly, this area hated Gruden when he lost the season opener to the Saints the year we won the Super Bowl.
September 11th, 2013 at 1:37 pm
The stupid stunts, the dumb blitzes, the conservative calls that his tells Sully to make when the game is in the balance, the lack of overall team confidence is Schiano’s fault. The Head Cosch sets the tone. He instills confidence, demands precision, requires hard play and coaches execution.
September 11th, 2013 at 1:40 pm
Tebow was all defense and Matt Prater. Josh Freeman looked better in 2010 with less talent than he does in 2013. Regression or what?
September 11th, 2013 at 1:44 pm
Let me float one other possible reason out there for the loss…maybe the Jets are a pretty good team and especially at home. Some of you have pretty short memories. I remember a lot of you screaming for Geno Smith to come to Tampa last year and now those same people are acting like he’s terrible. You can’t have as many penalties as we had and beat even a mediocre team and I think the Jets were pretty good defensively. Offensively we handed them points with penalties but I was impressed with the pressure we got against a pretty good O-line. If we come up with a good game plan against the Saints I think we can come out with a victory. Those receivers are gonna get HIT!!!!
September 11th, 2013 at 1:46 pm
One more thing on Freeman, I honestly think the guy puts in all the effort and preparation you would want from a “franchise” qb. I believe Freeman works very hard to be that guy as did Mark Sanchez. The issue is Freeman is simply not good in the heat of the moment, he struggles with adjusting at the line and simply taking control of the offense. It’s not due to lack of effort or partying, in my opinion. I just think he’s simply not that good. He’s been that way since college. The guy is in year two of an offense surrounded with ProBowl talent and playmakers but gets outplayed by Geno Smith who may not have ONE ProBowl player starting on that offense. Freeman threw for under 50% of his passes, several bouncing off the turf. He is who he has always been, athletically gifted but very poor execution. I guarantee you, if you look at his “big games”, he only has big games when his receivers are making ridiculous circus catches in traffic or over receivers. It’s never due to Freeman slicing up an offense…..NEVER.
September 11th, 2013 at 1:46 pm
“the coach can only do so much, how do the hits from Goldson and David have anything to do with preparation? That was three separate drives extended on plays that involve fractions of a second of decision making by the player, not the coach.”
Bobby M… that’s been my exact point since Sunday when it comes to that word “unprepared”. Were all those penalties Schiano’s fault? As far as I’m concerned, no.
Do I think he will correct those problems this week in practice? YUP!
September 11th, 2013 at 1:47 pm
yea i would say so….greg olsen raheem morris first time head coach first time offensive coordinator
greg schiano, mike sullivan….are you seeing the trend buddy. in his 5th year this guy hasnt had one single proven head coach, schiano hired jimmy raye, butch davis and dave wannsted all nfl coaches and the guy puts together a game plan like that. why not be a d coordinator schiano so that the play calling can be blamed on him…we are the only team in the division that the head coach doesnt run offense or defense (not sure about carolina) we went 7-9 and people bring up freeman’s win loss record or his completion percentage but how about his offense ranked #10 last year, he was 9 in passing yards behind the great aaron rodgers. im simply saying even when this guy wins a game he gets talked down about….
but wait….how many probowl qb’s in the history of this franchise? hmmm
September 11th, 2013 at 1:53 pm
we do it with defense here and always have, you guys are just mad because the league has gone offensive and we were left behind. why didnt they pull the trigger on carson palmer or any kind of veteran qb this offseason, why not pull the trigger on just a pass rushing specialist like what’s his name from the colts who was out there the entire offseason? i think it’s because veterans wont respect his logic and his way of doing things, think dwight freeney would stand for a coach calling stunts all day long? no he wants to get at the quartback. he thinks to small like i said fine freeman sucked but at the end of the game when he went to the bench we were winning, his weak coach is the one that ran 3 times and punted instead of having the testicular fortitude to go for the throat…..that might have well been nick foles and the philly game all over again
September 11th, 2013 at 1:55 pm
Has anyone stopped to think about how the Bucs scored exactly the amount of points that almost every single guru and talking head said they would score. The Bucs met their expectations according their prognostications. The only difference being that the Jets score 8 to 11 points more than they were expected. Talk about a 2-faced media. What did they expect the Bucs to secretly score more and just didn’t want to say it. It is BS.
September 11th, 2013 at 1:58 pm
but ok ill leave schiano alone…..this game coming up should define his progress because its a division opponent. using that weak 3 man rush dropping 8 in coverage got us beat against a rookie…..to show you that he would bang his head up against a wall to see if it bleeds every week, i believe he’s gonna do the same exact thing against drew brees….just look at the line play and the coverages he runs and tell me if you think we can reach the playoffs like that
COPY AND PASTE IT, I’M NOT SCARED TO ADMIT IM WRONG…I’LL BE HERE SUNDAY AFTER THE GAME BECAUSE BLACK OUTS DONT STOP MOST PEOPLE FROM WATCHING THE GAME THESE DAYS
September 11th, 2013 at 1:58 pm
Good lord. Josh Freeman has played great sometimes and the Bucs lose. Sometimes he plays terrible and the Bucs win. But often, you cannot predict whats coming with him. Year 4, and we STILL don’t know what we have in the guy. Thats the freakin problem folks. You should know what you have in a franchise QB after no more than 3 seasons. That we dont says Freeman isn’t that.
September 11th, 2013 at 1:58 pm
I can only speak for myself but the reason I got and am still so pissed, is because I expected more from Schiano than I did Rah. When you go into a season with certain expectations, and on the very first drive it all gets thrown out the window, it ticks a guy off.
Same with Freeman. I defended him all freaking summer, saying he will improve. The very first drive showed me I was wrong. no expectations, no disappointments. high expectations lots of disappointment.
September 11th, 2013 at 1:59 pm
Lol, so now we are excusing the offense because they scored as many points as some people thought they would?
I’m sure the media expected the offense to no show 55 minutes of the game as well.
Keep the excuses comin.
September 11th, 2013 at 2:01 pm
So what did you expect the score to be wiseguy. ^^^^
September 11th, 2013 at 2:02 pm
We are ready to punce because of several reasons:
1. Many of us gave Raheem the benefit of the doubt for a year too long.
2. Schiano was a promise of discipline and organization… have not seen that on the field in the offense or with the amount of penalties.
3. Schiano has playoff ready talent RIGHT NOW if they can get Freeman to throw for 250 with 2 Tds and .5 ints per game… something that apparantly is VERY pedestrian in todays offenses… but eludes the Bucs
4. They played the NYJ!?! A team many think will be in the bottom 25%. If they can’t beat them, where does that leave a team that thinks they have playoff hopes?
September 11th, 2013 at 2:07 pm
Schiano defenders: Who pulled all the starters from every preseason game? The starters never looked in sync. I am a Bucs fan and I am tired of rookie coaches and their need to be trained for the NFL via Tampa Bay HC position. Anybody with common sense could see this coming. Go Bucs!
September 11th, 2013 at 2:16 pm
“Schiano defenders: Who pulled all the starters from every preseason game?”
This too is funny because when Tom Crabtree got hurt experimenting at fullback in a preseason game, a lot of people got on Schiano about what a dumb move it was. Now people think the starters should of played more?
September 11th, 2013 at 2:19 pm
exactly so most media was picking the bucs to win between 5-7 games this year and that one was one they picked them to win…hmmmm
blame josh for interceptions blame the coach for not being prepared, there was one person to game plan for on offense and thats kellen winslow but we know this guy he was on our team but they seemed baffled that he was getting open. I’m thinking schiano and his staff didnt give this guy any respect and got shocked when they saw he came to play…why is it this guy is getting rid of all the veterans on the team where it counts?
You know i always thought if your evaluating a quarterback to see if he is gonna be the guy going forward and your trying to determine if you can give him a big contract why not sit back and see exactly what he can give your franchise and then decide….how can you make that determination if your restict the guy…its because schiano is restricting all these guys alot of whom make more money than him…i think that story about having the thermostat at a certain temperature in meetings is starting to make alot more sense as to why these guys play like this…rah wasnt a great coach but atleast he was defended, atleast they loved playing for him even though they could advantage of he lack of discipline
September 11th, 2013 at 2:20 pm
Why even play the starters if you think they might get hurt. Just put in the starters after the 3rd game of the season just so there fresh.
September 11th, 2013 at 2:21 pm
Rbell the play would have given them another down to figure it out. In the mean time send the play in with the sub. I wish you would think sometimes.
September 11th, 2013 at 2:25 pm
They didn’t know he was having an issue with his helmet, so if Freeman had looked like he was ignoring the play call the coach would have probably called the time out. The point is people make something out of nothing. It’s all speculation not facts.
September 11th, 2013 at 2:29 pm
The headset was on Schiano Sully and Josh. Call a time out go to sidelines, Sully Schiano and Josh were all there. Then come out and have to back in to finally get another helmet. Atleast it only took them 2 f*ck ups before they learned.
September 11th, 2013 at 2:29 pm
“They didn’t know he was having an issue with his helmet”
What game were you watching? Him tapping his helmet then his hands in the air all the while looking like a chicken with its head cut off I think sent a pretty clear signal there was a helmet problem.
September 11th, 2013 at 2:53 pm
All this blame going around I guess i should just blame my momma too. Shoot, I blame her for living in Tampa and raising me to be a Buc fan too right? Folks should be mindful that their is only 32 teams in the league and we are blessed to have one in our town! It will get right and as for the ones who can’t make it right they will no longer be here!! The Glazers are not spending millions of dollars to see ”The Debacle” we all witnessed last Sunday.
September 11th, 2013 at 2:54 pm
The blame is finally going where it needs to be. Everyone wants to blame Freeman because he’s the QB. Truth of the matter is in his whole career he’s been subject to bad coaching. They replaced one inexperienced coach for another. Schiano is trying the Bucs an NFL version of Rutgers. Last year he grabbed a bunch of inexperienced college coaches to be on his staff. This year he has the most coaches on staff and you can see its not working. He’s been undermining Josh since he got to Tampa. Now he’ll have his chance the Bucs will start out 0-4 and have the bye then he can start Glennon and continue to lose. He’ll have no excuses and will be fired. Good riddance.
September 11th, 2013 at 2:56 pm
Listen I’ve lost a lot of respect for schiano only because this guy preaches accountability and dedication. He cut dez briscoe for not showing up to voluntary workouts last year.
However he keeps Jeff demps who dedicated himself to track over football now reports Monday and he has a spot on the roster?
September 11th, 2013 at 3:08 pm
I love that Josh Freeman deserves as many chances as it takes for him to show he’s the guy, but Schiano needs to go 17 games in. At 58 games you still haven’t seen enough Freeman, but at 17 you’re convinced on Schiano. When Freeman is still mediocre for the Browns next year, I’m guessing his defenders here will have finally come to reality. Probably not though.
September 11th, 2013 at 3:24 pm
@bucrightoff
Alex Smith was in the league for 5 plus yrs and considered a miserable failure until Harbaugh stepped in. I think most Buc fans would be happy to have a game manager that was at least coached up. Schiano is not the coach. There is way to much talent in this team to be this bad week one. That’s on coaching or lack of it.
September 11th, 2013 at 3:51 pm
Yeah but Alex smith had some brains above the shoulders.
September 11th, 2013 at 4:22 pm
When Josh Freeman goes a whole game and actually makes more than 1 progression on each drop back, we can compare him to Alex Smith. Smith is smarter than Freeman for sure. Smith also never had an elite WR like VJax. Hell he never had a Mike Williams.
September 11th, 2013 at 4:52 pm
For me the blame still lies with Freeman. In his last 4 regular season games Josh’s stat line is 90-167 (54%), 1083 yards, 3TDs, 10INTs, 3 fumbles lost. Now Tebow is out of the league because he can’t complete enough passes but the last time I looked he was around 49-50% completion percent with more TD’s than INT’s. Numbers don’t lie, Freeman is Tebow with a more normal throwing motion. In other words a backup in the NFL, not a franchise Elite starter. We need to look to the future, Freeman in not going to get a new contract here in Tampa and he’s starting to be a distraction that’s not only splitting the Buccaneer Fans but it looks like also some of the players.
September 11th, 2013 at 5:06 pm
Alex Smith played with Randy Moss last year and Michael Crabtree & Vernon Davis his whole career.
September 11th, 2013 at 5:06 pm
But Tebow took his team to the playoffs and beat, and I say yes, Beat the Pittsburgh Steelers , the defending AFC Champs at the time, that year.
September 11th, 2013 at 5:10 pm
Randy Moss on the decline, he actually only spent 2 seasons with Crabtree and Davis was involved the in infamous “Can’t win with em” speech by Mike Singletarry, an admitedly terrible coach. Nobody like VJax in his prime or Mike Williams entering his. bucfan999 has the stats, but if you got those stats without a name I bet you’d say its Tebow. The fact its Freeman is wholly depressing.
September 11th, 2013 at 7:05 pm
It’s fine that he and Freeman take most or all of the blame. As the head coach and the QB that’s part of your job. Just like in business. If the company isn’t making money you point the finger at the top.
Schiano is a tough guy. He’ll be fine. Freeman on the other hand I’m not so sure about. He comes across as mentally weak, so it’ll be interesting to see how he rebounds from all this.
One thing I’m tired of hearing is that Schiano is unwilling to take blame and is trying to place all blame on the players. He makes a few comments about a specific couple of plays and he’s suddenly throwing his players under the bus? Give me a break. I’ve heard Schiano accept blame publicly on multiple occasions after a loss or bad performance. He said a few times last year “we have to do a better job of coaching and preparing”.
Maybe Schiano truly believes his players were prepared but a few of them just dropped the ball on Sunday. What is wrong with that? Just because something goes wrong doesn’t mean he didn’t properly prepare them. Sometimes people just screw up. BLAME BLAME BLAME. It’s America. Someone has to take the fall. Idiots.
September 11th, 2013 at 8:15 pm
Yes my wife came to me with sports page telling me that my friend Tom Jones (sarcasm can’t stand the guy) had a story called Blame Him blasted on the front page. She said here you want to read it. I took the paper saw the headline and threw the paper in the trash without reading a word.
September 11th, 2013 at 8:22 pm
Has the bashing stopped yet it’s wedsday? Oh wait I forgot the Buc bashing has been going since July from “the fans” silly me. Carry on trash your team some more.
September 11th, 2013 at 9:51 pm
Buc1987
Um, did you see something to cheer about?
Shiano deserves lots of blame. His decision making on 3rd downs are down right cowardly
Going to a three man rush, at the end of games- continues to cost us games. We lose a game we are leading- with 34 seconds left?? Yeah. Because our coach thinks that the best strategy- is to give Smith absolutely no pressure. Just let him sit in the pocket, and wait til someone gets opening.
Josh Freeman won 10 games, with a far less talented team. He did it by being a moble QB. Rolling out, throwing on the Run- or ( god forbid) actually taking off and running. 26 TDs, 7 interceptions( something like that)
Great season.
Schiano wants him to be a pocket passer. No roll outs, no running. No use of his speed or mobility.
It’s stupid. It’s how you lose. It’s how a .500 college coach becomes a .200 NFL coach.
Team looked tired, lethargic, out of sync.
Yup- plenty of room to blame Schiano